CBSA Mock Interview
Master 60 CBSA interview questions covering border security, integrity scenarios, and situational judgment.
Question 26 of 60
To qualify for specific roles, CBSA agents must be bi-lingual in English and French. Do you have any special linguistic skills to mention?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
CBSA, as a whole, doesn't require all applicants to be bi-lingual. However, if you want consideration for bilingual opportunities, these positions require a working knowledge of Canada's official languages. Also, CBSA reassesses your language skills every five years. You must be able to speak, read, and write in both English and French at a designated level.
If you have additional language skills, make sure to include details on your resume. Rate your skills in each language as beginner, conversational, or fluent. If you are interested in growing into those positions, express your enthusiasm and willingness to learn another language if you don't yet possess this skill.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I am fluent in English and am proactively learning French, rating myself as a beginner. I will continue to teach myself French through the interview and hiring process, ensuring that I have a leg up when it comes to applying for bi-lingual roles in the future."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Share your skill level. Express you have a genuine interest or are open to learning more languages. Make sure to communicate your answer as clearly and concisely as possible. Avoid using speech crutch words, such as "Like," "um," "you know," "so on and so forth," "and," "well," "but," "so," "ah," "er," "literally," "actually," and "basically."
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Anonymous Answer
I speak beginner's level French, but I would like to learn if the opportunity arises. I also know other languages that might help since Canada is a multicultural country. I speak Urdu and Punjabi. It is a goal of mine to expand my knowledge of French to be able to converse, if necessary.
Rachelle's Feedback
Fantastic! You are already skilled linguistically, and Urdu and Punjabi will be highly beneficial as a CBSA agent.
Anonymous Answer
I am only fluent in English. However, at my previous job, we always had to greet passengers with an active offer of both English and French.
Rachelle's Feedback
It's nice that you were able to offer passengers the two options. This question may not apply to you if the role does not require bilingualism - I like how you delivered a positive work-around in your response :)
Anonymous Answer
I currently do not have any special linguistic skills other than being fluent in English. However, with saying that, I am taking an online course to familiarize myself with sign language.
I do not consider myself to be fluent in French, but do consider myself to be a beginner and am not afraid to strengthen my skill set to better prepare myself for any future endeavors within the CBSA.
Rachelle's Feedback
Good for you! Sign language is a highly valuable skill as well. Depending on the position you're applying to, bilingualism may not be a requirement; however, you did a good job making this answer work for you. I do suggest avoiding 'do not' statements off the hop and replacing that with positive phrasing. I've offered a revision for you below.
"I believe there are many benefits to building a range of linguistic skills. For that reason, I am taking an online course to familiarize myself with sign language. I am fluent in English and a beginner in French. I am working to strengthen my French language skills to prepare myself for success within the CBSA."
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